Two Winters and a Summer
by EssaTheTwerp
Summary: Shannon was completely in love with Embry, one of the three who chose his own path. When he brings her to meet the pack, Collin imprints and she is forced into an imprint's life - that of a prisoner. Her desperation to escape leads to his own madness.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own and have never claimed to own the Twilight saga, its plot, or any of its characters.

I'm in need of a beta if anyone should want to volunteer.

Enjoy.

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><p>"You should <em>really <em>buckle your seatbelt," Shannon sighed from the passenger side of the car, eyeing her boyfriend with clear dissatisfaction. He snickered and reached over to muss her hair gently.

"Nah, if I get in a car accident it'd be easier for me to dive across the car and save you," he said seriously. Shannon giggled and rolled her eyes. One of her arms was hanging outside the window of the car, feeling the cool breeze of the spring air flowing over her overheated body. She was always hot when around Embry due to his abnormally high body temperature. At first she'd been worried, but he quickly assured her he'd had it his whole life and no harm had ever come with it. Only then did she calm down.

"Oh, what a _great _way to kick off our anniversary. We die in a car accident," Shannon huffed. She glared angrily at him, though Embry could see the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Like I said before, I won't let either of us get hurt…one year isn't enough," Embry decided firmly. She chuckled again and straightened in her seat.

"Will you stop all this damn _flirting_?" Chubby groaned from the backseat, throwing his baseball cap at the couple. Shannon flipped him off offhandedly and Nico snickered from behind her.

"We're not _flirting_," Embry grunted, "we're bickering. Okay? _Bickering_." His insistence amused all others in the car, and they snickered.

"Hmm. Just don't _bicker _so much when we get to Sam and…Sam's house. Don't want the guys to think we've let one of our brother's wimp out," Chubby said stubbornly.

"You aren't even biologically related," Shannon rolled her eyes. Chubby and Nico shared a wicked grin.

"No…but we really know each other well. It's almost as if we can, at times, read each other's minds," the annoying boy continued from behind her. She laughed as a curtain of her dark shimmying down her back. Embry's eyes caught this movement and for a moment he was mesmerized by his girlfriend's utter beauty…then he snapped out of it and reluctantly returned his attention to the road.

Nico elbowed Chubby sharply, and Shannon shot him a curious stare. He had the grace to look abashed, but she just smiled again.

"Well, I'm excited to meet these people all of you talk about. Brady, Collin, Quil, Jacob…too many to count, I think!" she joked. Embry smiled a little.

"Well, you won't be meeting Jake or Brady today. They have…_other_ responsibilities." Embry's eyes met his friends' the mirror and they all held the same disturbed look in them. Shannon didn't notice, thankfully, and was instead looking a bit disappointed.

"Aw, that sucks. So how many _will _be there?"

"Well, including us four…sixteen." Shannon's mouth popped open at Embry's quiet answer.

"Sixteen? Sixteen people? I thought I wasn't going to meet all of them until later!"

"You aren't going to meet all of them! Remember Jake and Brady won't be there," he defended loosely. Shannon shook her head in disbelief.

"Ugh, just promise you won't leave my side. If Chubby is true in saying that all these guys are as huge, even _bigger_, than you motherfuckers, I'll be scared out of my mind," she sighed. Embry smirked.

"Okay, Shan. I promise." Chubby moaned dramatically in displeasure, flailing miserably where he sat so he ended up kicking Nico in the face.

"Unh, _so fucking_ _dorky!_" he complained heavily. Embry snarled and reached back to slap the man on the head.

"Shut _up_, Chubby!"


	2. Chapter One

Thanks, as I ever will be, to any readers and reviewers. This chapter gets a BIT more interesting, but next one will definitely be getting into the good stuff!

And double, _double_ thanks to my amazing beta, laurazuleta18. She is one amazing girl, I swear I owe her my life!

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><p>Two Winters and a Summer: Chapter One<p>

Shannon yawned as Embry pulled into an empty parking lot. She had been sleeping for a couple of minutes and now she was facing a slowly darkening beach which was lit with the dancing rays of a sunset. Sighing happily, she tapped her boyfriend on the shoulder and tipped her head to the side in question.

"Emb, where are we?" she questioned sleepily. He grinned and waved Chubby and Nico out of the car dominantly. Shannon was about to rebuke him for his rudeness but, to her immense surprise, both climbed out and walked toward the silent, lumbering forest. Her eyes followed their movements until they had all but disappeared. She was used to this odd sort of behavior from her three friends, but it never failed to confuse her even more. Chubby was always joking, poking fun at Embry or Nico without fear of retaliation, but as soon as a situation would get mildly serious, he'd shrink back and stay completely silent.

"We are right in La Push," he said while gesturing to the sand and waves in front of them, "my home." Shannon was surprised momentarily by this revelation, although it made more sense why Chubby and Nico had gotten out of the car so readily. Looking around more closely, she realized how beautiful the beach really was. She inhaled sharply and smiled softly at her boyfriend. Embry's eyes were twinkling in delight as he climbed out of the car and jogged to the passenger side to open Shannon's door for her. She beamed and took his hand as he helped her out in a very gentleman-like fashion.

"Why thank you, Kind Sir," Shannon breathed in a very fake, very _bad _English accent. Embry chuckled and wound his arm around her waist. They walked in comfortable silence towards the crashing waves before finally stopping. She leaned deeply into his arms and closed her eyes. The air was fresh and salty and so comforting…Shannon had grown up on the beaches of Northern California; therefore she'd practically lived in the water during her childhood until moving to Oregon in her junior year of high school. Eventually she'd gone to college in Washington, and then got a job as a receptionist there. Her boss, the fucking freak, liked to order the _exact same _lunch _every single day, _which was how Shannon and Embry met.

He was a delivery boy for Harry's Burger Fries, the very restaurant Shannon's boss liked to order his lunch from, so they met and talked day after day before finally going out. Soon after she met his friends, and surprisingly all of them got along very well, although she and Nico did bond over making fun of poor Chubby. She thought that 'Chubby' was an odd nickname, but he explained that it was because when he was a baby, he had infamous cheeks that could make any mom melt. He also said he'd punch anyone who called him Robert.

Compared to Chubby, Nico was a relatively calm and quiet guy but extremely clever. He used silent humor to get his jokes in the open and Shannon found that positively hilarious. She seemed to be the perfect fourth person to their threesome so she slid in and made their apartment her second home. No one minded…on the contrary, Embry was thrilled. They confessed their love for each other after a couple of months and hadn't looked back ever since.

Snapping her out of her reverie, Embry suddenly grabbed her arms and spun her around to face him. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before yanking her legs around his large waist and falling back to the sand. They landed with _thump_ and Shannon laughed wildly as Embry rolled over and over until they were at the water's edge. Embry stuck a strand of her hair between his thumb and forefinger and twirled it speculatively. Shannon's eyes zeroed in on this movement but she didn't say anything…she knew immediately he had something important on his mind by the way his mouth was puckered and his nose was scrunched up. It took all she had in her to stop herself from smirking…he looked _too _fucking cute. She could swear on her life that Embry could get her to do anything she wanted, anything at all, so it was a good thing he didn't know just what he did to her.

Finally, he let out a long, drawn out sigh and sat the both of them up. Shannon's legs were still hooked round his waist, so he supported her back with his hands. She would have assumed this would tire him, but he looked rather casual about it. "Shannon?" Embry asked with trepidation.

She peeked at him through her eyelashes. "Yeah, Emb?" she asked bemusedly. He sighed again and began to fidget with her hair even more than he already had been doing seconds ago. His nervousness was almost contagious, and she too began to squirm where she was. At last she crossed her arms and fixed him with a petulant glare. "Embry, _what _is it?" she demanded in irritation. Embry looked down, closed his eyes then opened his trembling mouth.

"Shannon, remember how I told you I've always had an irregularly high temperature? That…um well, it wasn't exactly true," he paused and ducked his head in shame in response to her hurt expression, "I'm sorry, Shan. But I…I had to. Don't give me that look. I _did _need to lie_,_ for my protection and for my pack's protection."

She raised her eyebrows confusedly. "Your _pack's_ protection? When did you get a pack, exactly? And why do you have a hot temperature if it's not some genetic thing? Oh fuck, Embry are you sick? Are you…dying?" she choked, suddenly filled with horror and anger. Embry grabbed her hand and began to stroke it comfortingly.

"Shan, babe, I hate that I had to lie to you. I fucking _hate _it. The reason I did, though, was because I needed to protect a secret…a secret I feel I can trust you with now. I…" he looked to be struggling with something deeper than anything he had before. Shannon pressed a hand to his cheek in silent support of what his confession was to be. She loved her Embry, after all.

"Shannon." He offered a twisted half-smile, "I'm a fucking werewolf."

She stared at him. Then she stared at him some more. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, and then curled her hands into tight fists of fury. "Oh. Oh, _really._ So when did this, uh, magical transformation happen, hmm?" Shannon was _pissed off._ Embry could tell that right away, and worse yet…he had no idea what to do next. How could he possibly convince this smart, beautiful woman that he was…that he was a monster, a supernatural impossibility?

Embry figured that honesty might not be the best policy at all times, including this one, but he'd follow that policy anyway…though he'd leave the whole vampire concept out just for now. "Well, when I was...god, sixteen must've been…I phased for the first time. It was hell a confusing and just…it was a pretty terrible time. I mean, suddenly I could transform into a giant wolf and hear these guys' thoughts in my head. It freaked me the fuck out, Shan. And I know you don't believe me right now, but the thing is I'm telling you the truth, the one hundred percent truth. I love you, and I would never, _ever _lie to you in a million years. That's why I have the boiling temperature…that's why, when we have sex, I have to be so damn careful even though all I wanna do is go fucking wild without any fucking restrain. The reason why Chubby is so much less dominant than me and even Nico…he's at the very bottom of the pack. It's also why I'm so packed with muscle and so tall. It explains everything and…and if you're not convinced, babe, I'd be willing to phase in front of you. Because this is me, and I know you won't tell a single soul. I realize that you…you might not want to continue our relationship, because this is a lot to take in, but –"

"Shut up," Shannon interrupted, pushing a hand against his mouth. He stopped immediately, but looked at her with pain-filled eyes. He hesitantly tried to speak again, but she only pushed her hand more firmly against his lips. "Ssh. I'm _thinking_, Emb. I'm thinking."

And then Shannon removed her hand and crashed her mouth into his and began kissing him, because truth be told, his explanation was the fucking hottest thing she'd ever heard. She could look into his eyes and see it, see the truth and sincerity and she knew with all her heart he was telling the truth. So Shannon kissed him with all her might and Embry kissed her back with enthusiasm and love and everything he had in him.

"So beautiful," he murmured. This was the reaction from Shannon he could have only dreamed of. It had taken everything he had to say all that shit to her, and now that it was out there he had absolutely no wish to take it back. Something heavy had been lifted off his chest and he _liked _it exactly where it was – a long fucking way from him. She breathed deeply.

"I wanna see, Emb," she finally whispered.

"What?" he asked in shock, pulling back from her. She smiled slightly and drew him back in with long fingers and misty green eyes.

"I believe you, Embry. With everything I have, I'd bet you were telling the truth. But if this wolf is a part of you, then I want to know that part. I love you, so I should be able to love your…your wolf. Whoever he is," she finished. Embry looked at her, then stood in one fluid motion and carried his girl to the edge of the forests. He set her down carefully on her feet in the light of the moon before backing into the protective cover of the forest. Carefully, he stripped of his clothing, tossed them all to the ground and warned her to stay where she was in a soft, rumbling growl.

And then, he turned into the most amazing animal Shannon had ever seen. His skin rippled like it was going to burst at the seams, and she guessed it did. Fur spread out over his body which then grew into a long, larger than life wolf. It…_he_, was grey with silver freckling. She slowly walked forward until she was eye level with the great beast…he was absolutely amazing. Even more slowly than she had walked forward, her hand raised and ran through his fur. It was one of the softest things Shannon had ever felt, it took her breath away.

"Emb," she whispered, then licked her lips in nervousness. "Embry you're beautiful." His muzzle pulled back, and then he sneezed. Shannon giggled.

She figured this was some wolf-like way of him telling her thank you. She pressed her forehead into his nose and closed her eyes, just relaxing in that moment. Shannon's emotions were dipping and skyrocketing, her mind blowing into different dimensions and spinning so sharply she could barely keep her breathing even. What she had just seen proved wrong all that she'd assumed about the world, and truthfully she felt she was about to be sick. She _had _believed Embry…but just seeing it, knowing that he wasn't lying or crazy for sure… She pressed her lips together and tried not to be too freaked out.

"So…so Chubby and Nico are wolves, too? And all of your friends?" she asked timidly. Embry nodded slowly, and she breathed out roughly.

"That's…that's wow. That's just wow," she finally murmured. The tips of his mouth pulled up, so it sort of looked like he was baring his teeth but seemed a lot more similar to a goofy looking smile. She stifled a snigger then backed away, indicating that she wished for him to phase back.

He did so and suddenly he was standing naked before her, which only succeeded in making Shannon's knees all the more wobbly. She was dating a fucking _werewolf._ Releasing a shuddering breath, she walked forward and launched herself in Embry's open arms, kissing him again and again.

"I love you," she swore with all her heart. Embry nuzzled her nose gently.

"I love you too, babe. With all my heart," he replied, stroking her long, brown hair with adoration. She leaned into his embrace and sniffed deeply, reveling in the feeling of his warmth. It felt so damn good to know why Embry was so special, because he had always been special. She just hadn't known why or how.

"We should…go see your friends. They're waiting," Shannon whispered with regret. She wished deeply to make love to him, but her mother had always ingrained in her that she could _not _be rude, so it would be almost morally wrong for her to keep Embry's friends waiting longer than they already had been. Embry sighed, but nodded in agreement.

"Alright, beautiful, throw me my clothes. Probably wouldn't end up well if I arrived naked," he winked. She giggled and winked right back.

"I, however, wouldn't be disappointed in the least," Shannon announced with a smirk as he fastened his khaki shorts. Embry laughed deeply then scooped her up in his arms and began to make his way back to the car. "By the way, have I ever told you that your abs fucking kill me. It makes so much sense now," she sighed dramatically. Embry rolled his eyes and then threw her high, high up into the air. She screamed wildly as she flew ten, eventually fifteen feet into the cloudy night sky. He caught her swiftly and then stuck her in the passenger side of the car.

Embry jogged back to the driver's seat and ducked in at inhuman speed that set Shannon's heart fluttering erratically. He grinned at her shocked expression. "Oh, yeah…did I mention I have superhuman speed, sight, smell and hearing?"

"No…no I, um, think you forgot, um, to mention that," she breathed. She blinked a few times as she tried to get this impossible theory ingrained into her brain before immediately turning beat red. "Oh _my_ god. Superhuman hearing…does that mean you heard me talk to myself about you in the bathroom?" she asked in horror. Embry bit his lip to keep from busting out with laughter, even twisting away from her terrified face for good measure.

"Uh…I could have _maybe _heard you saying that I was an impossibly hunky, manly man and you could do me better than anyone I ever had before sleeping with me for the first time," Embry smirked. She gasped and hid her face in her hands as he started to drive towards Sam's house.

"Shit, Emb! I cannot fucking _believe _you did that! Oh my god…that's why you told me afterwards that it was the best sex you ever had…" she trailed off, humiliated beyond any reasonable amount. Embry smiled at her softly.

"Well, that might have been part of it…but mostly it was because I was telling the truth. You pleased me better than anyone else I've ever had," Embry murmured. Shannon blushed slightly, but stuck her chin up and offered him a full smile.

"Well, I _do_ try my best!" They both chuckled and reached for each other's hand. Shannon watched the houses pass and she had to admit to herself that this reservation didn't look…well, it didn't look good. The walls were obviously ready to crumble and the lawns were brown and badly kept. She could tell from Embry's expression that he wasn't proud that his home was poor, but she really didn't care. To assure him of this, she gave his hand a squeeze. He shot her a half-grin then turned back to the road.

After a few minutes of slightly stiff silence, he pulled up a dirt road towards a small, rundown house not unlike the rest of the homes in La Push. "We're here," Embry announced after clearing his throat. Shannon could faintly hear the sounds of deep laughter and an underlay of what sounded like rap music emulating from the house, which made her grin. Embry despised rap, but she loved it and the fact that his pack was playing it made her smug. He looked at her and rolled his eyes, guessing what she was acting so excited about.

"Oh, shut up. It's probably just because of Bryson, the dude _breathes_ rap," Embry growled, annoyance ringing his tone. Shannon giggled and shrugged.

"Your loss, our gain!" she sing-sang. Embry mumbled whatever and tugged her inside. She could almost feel the happiness radiating off of him, and in turn she was feeling happier than she had in a long time. Shannon had known that Embry's friends were as good as his family, possibly even more special, so she knew why he was a bit on edge. It made sense, perfect sense really.

"We're here!" Embry yelled as the door banged opened, and immediately they were faced with a horde of shirtless, hot (both kinds of hot), muscled men running toward them. Shannon squeaked as she was passed from one set of arms to another. Chests rumbled in excitement and there were many proclamations of excitement about meeting their new 'packmate'. Shannon purred happily at each one of these and tried to keep all the names and faces straight…but it was so damn _confusing._ They all looked the same, all except for Chubby, Nico and of course Embry. She supposed this was because she was only used to the three of them, but she couldn't be sure.

Sam was the grumpy looking one, Paul was the buff one with the wicked sideburns, Quil was the shortest wolf but definitely the buffest one, Leah and Hannah looked too much alike for Shannon to find a difference, but they both had short, edgy hair and looked around the room with a flat expression, Collin had huge but cute ears, George was the smallest out of everyone in the room except for Shannon herself, Craig had an impossibly large forehead, and Elki had this weird-ass buzz cut hairdo. Shannon's head spun from trying to remember all of this, and when she finally made it back to Embry, her face had flushed red and she was slightly dizzy from all the jostling.

Several of them were grinning, and Shannon smiled back. "So," one of them said, "Emb didn't scare you off too much, then?" She thought it was Quil, but she couldn't be sure.

"Well, he was damn near close…scared me like a bitch," Shannon paused to laugh. "Although I didn't mind too much, his wolf was so pretty!" Okay, so that was _kind_ of payback for Embry not warning her nearly enough of his friends' obvious overwhelming nature. He turned just as red as she had been as the pack let out loud guffaws.

"Thanks, Shan. You know I'll never live this one down right?" he moaned, turning her head so her lips were brushing his. A dust of a growl sounded in the background, but she and he both ignored it as they began to kiss. Several catcalls sounded, and in response Embry swatted her ass lightly.

"Hey, Embry! Stop it!" she glared, jabbing him in the chest with her finger. He just grinned and tapped her again. Her glare deepened, and she was about to reprimand him again when a rough hand snagged her waist and threw her back against the wall.

"SHE SAID TO STOP!" a low voice yelled angrily. She gasped at the dull pain in her ribcage and looked up angrily at the culprit. She thought it was Collin, but couldn't be sure. The rest of the pack was staring at him in complete shock as he stood staring at Embry, his entire body shaking with anger. Embry's hands curled into fists.

"What the hell, man?" Embry growled furiously. He began to make his way to Shannon stiffly as she continued to rub her side, but Collin's hand snapped out and punched his cheek savagely.

"Stay the fuck away from her!" he growled, giving another angry shove so he stumbled backwards. Shannon let out a furious noise and scrambled to her feet painfully.

"Don't fucking touch him!" she screamed. The tension in the air had spiraled to a thick, uncomfortable, twisted darkness. The two men were glaring at each other with almost…hatred, and Shannon was almost scared.

Embry cracked his knuckles dangerously and slowly stood to his full height, a couple of inches taller than Collin. Growls were emitting from both nonstop as they circled each other. Embry's eyes looked so confused Shannon wished to hug him… though she knew that wouldn't be the smartest idea at the moment. He was fucking _scary_, and realizing this made Shannon shiver. She inched towards the door, but Collin caught her movement out of the corner of his eye and snarled. She froze immediately and instead opted to back as far against the wall as she could.

"What are you doing, Collin?" a voice shouted from the silent crowd of men, and he winced.

"You hurt her," Embry said in a trembling voice. "You hurt my girl!" He looked ready to rip Collin apart, and a part of Shannon almost wished he would. This whole situation was confusing and scaring her so badly she almost wanted to cry.

But, whatever he said next seemed to have more of an effect than anything he'd done before, because suddenly the whole pack was charging towards her and Embry had launched himself at Collin in an absolute wild rage.

"Mine," Collin had growled. "Shannon is my imprint. _Mine_."


	3. Chapter Two

Thanks again to my dear beta, laurazuleta18! She is absolutely amazing! Thanks so much bebe!

And another thanks goes out to anyone who reads, _especially_ the reviewers! *hugs*

Enjoy!

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><p>Two Winters and a Summer: Chapter Two<p>

Shannon's head spun in random, crazy circles as countless men stumbled on top of her, all of them pulling, yanking, moving her…and she felt so weak because she was trying her hardest to fight them, but their grip was ironclad and unwavering. No matter what she did no one stopped or even looked chagrinned at her efforts. She couldn't see anything because the men had formed a kind of barrier around her. She tried to scream to get Embry's attention – because surely he would help her. They loved each other, or so he'd led her to believe…

And what the hell was an imprint? Nothing made sense! Desperately she attempted to lift her head around someone's head, and they furiously shoved her back but not before she got a glimpse of Embry…Embry trying his hardest to come after the group. He was being held back by that fucking bastard, Collin. A spasm of anger shook Shannon's body and she screamed again, flailing wildly for escape. "Let the fuck go of me!" she demanded. She was a citizen of the United States and had the right to go and leave as she pleased.

Of course, there was always the alternative: these men were out to hurt her in some terrible form of torture. Shuddering, she banished those thoughts and continued to struggle out of these beasts' grasps as hard as she could. She could tell when they reached the forest, because tree branches brushed her cheeks, leaving scratches and trails of what she was sure to be a mix of tears and blood. This angry thought reminded her of her total helplessness. "For God's sake, will someone put her out?" a growl resonated throughout the area around them. Crippling dread filled her as a large hand clasped the back of her neck. Slowly, two fingers pressed down on her pressure point and blackness filled her eyes…it was only a moment later when she passed out, panicking all the way.

Shannon's feet were tangled in her sheets, and she couldn't suppress the sigh of annoyance…this always happened and it took about ten minutes for her to get them out of the mess. Automatically, she shifted over and reached for the solid, hot mass of a man that was Embry and was instead only greeted with cold, open air. Shannon let out a gasp of shock before shooting up and looking around wildly, because that meant she wasn't in her bed.

And then, like a bolt of lightning, her memory came rushing back and she realized that she really _didn't _know where she was…only that she had probably been carried there by Embry's pack. Timidly, she gazed around the mostly bare room. She always found it useful to inspect her surroundings before trudging into them.

The room seemed to be about ten-by-ten (although she was a terrible judge when it came to numbers). Next to the small twin bed she was laying in, there was an end table with a plain, blue lamp on it. On the other end of the room was a wooden dresser that she guessed was empty. And, well, that was it. Uncertainly, she managed to throw the blankets her feet had been imprisoned in to the corner of the room and slowly placed her feet on the floor. She was relieved to find that there was a white carpet…she hated the feeling of cool stone or wood on her bare feet in the morning, or at least whenever she woke up.

There were no windows or a clock in her room, so she had no way of telling what time it was. Tentatively, she tiptoed to the sturdy-looking door and attempted to open the door. To her utter astonishment and terror, nothing happened. No locks were visible on her side, so it must have been locked from the outside and that meant... God, what the fuck did that mean? She was being held captive? Was Embry some kind of whore collector? She swallowed heavily and clutched her chest in despair at the thought of being forced into a life as a prostitute. Shannon couldn't think of any other possible explanation as to why she'd be locked up in this fucking bare room. Flashes of a thousand different movies and news on the paper ran through her mind.

She tried her hardest to not start crying, but the tears seemed inevitable… Suddenly, Shannon was sobbing so hard she couldn't stand up straight and she fell to the floor. Her elbow hit the wall and she let out a pained breath. "Fuck damn… S_omeone help me_! _Please_, help me! _Help me!_" she screamed, beginning to pound on the walls, door and the floor – anything she could reach. The walls were closing in, shifting in on her until she was compressed into a tight little ball. Trembling, she desperately reached upward to push the ceiling back up, but was only met with thin air. Despairingly, she dragged herself back to the bed with clutched fingers. She fumbled into the bed and pulled the sheets over her cold body and stared at the wall, unblinking and gagging as her previous meal, whenever that had been, threatened to rush out of her mouth and fall to the floor in a disgusting splatter of vomit…she swallowed, and the taste burned the back of her throat which she somehow managed to ignore.

She began to hiccup, and slowly eased into a calmer state. Tears were still running fresh paths down her cheeks, but at least she wasn't throwing up or anything. She pressed her face into the lone pillow and let out a muffled scream.

The door banged open and her head shot straight up in startled fear. One of the tall men who she had met last night strode in and, before she had any time to even mildly react, was across the room and scooping her up into his arms. Shannon sat in bewildered silence for a second, and then started screaming, fighting against the restraining arms and trying to kick her feet towards his face. In terror she learned it was no use because the werewolf's strength outmatched hers by thousands of bolts. Shannon didn't give up, though, because she knew that escaping from this man's grasp may be the only slight, little glimmer of hope she had…maybe ever _would_ have. This thought sent a shiver of fear down her spine and she screeched.

He had been taking her down a hallway, and seemed to hardly notice the way she was fighting him. This infuriated Shannon and she couldn't help but bite him, _hard_. He looked at her in shock, as if first noticing her, and she glared at him like a feral beast. The werewolf suddenly stopped and turned into another room, and it was there that she was unceremoniously dumped into a chair. Shannon tried to leap to her feet, but someone was prepared for that and held her back. She threw her shoulders back and forth but before she could really get started duct tape was wrapped around her body, binding her legs together and wrapping her arms behind her back. Finally, someone slapped a piece on top of her mouth.

She tried screaming, but could barely hear the sound herself. A deep hopelessness was settling into her chest as she looked around the room, settled with too many people to count. She counted…fuck, she counted thirteen guys and six women and…was that…her stomach churned in absolutely mortification. A _little fucking girl_ was peaking over one man's shoulder, curiosity and slight fear shining in her young brown eyes. Shannon hated these people, whoever they were, for dragging an innocent child into all of us…how could anyone do such a thing?

_Monsters,_ she thought bitterly. Her eyes sought out Embry and didn't find him…she wasn't quite sure if that was relieving or disappointing. She needed to know what was going on before sorting out her feelings, and to do that she needed to _calm the fuck down_. Shannon took three calming and steadying breaths; closed her eyes and then reopened them to face the monsters in front of her. All of them were staying at her curiously, if not a bit fearful. One of them cautiously moved forward.

"Shannon?" he said gently. She immediately bristled but managed to not lunge at him in anger. He took another step forward, and then knelt down so he was at eye level with her. Her fear spiked as he slowly moved across the floor and reached up towards her face. Frozen, she could only hope to God that he wasn't going to strike her too hard when, to her utter shock, he ripped the duct tape off her mouth and smiled. "We need you to be quiet, okay?" he asked smoothly.

"O…okay," she finally whispered. Shannon's true nature was to fight like hell and come out screaming in the end, but obviously these people wouldn't let that happen. Survival instincts were kicking in, and she realized that the only way to know what was happening to her was to follow their rules. The man nodded and offered another easy smile, but she wasn't going to be fooled.

"The name's Jake…I'm the Alpha, which means I'm responsible for the whole pack. You're now an imprint, so I have to protect you too," he said in a voice equal to that of a man talking to a baby, condescending and superior. Shannon's temper rose in leaps and bounds but she only flickered her eyes from Jake to the other group of people neutrally. A question hovered on her lips so she asked it in as silent a voice as she could.

"_What_ is imprinting?" Shannon asked. Jake's face clouded with surprise.

"You mean Embry didn't tell you?" a furious voiced asked, turning loathsome around Shannon's boyfriend's name. A furious protectiveness welled up in Shannon and her eyes snapped to the person who had spoken ill of him…she recognized him immediately as Collin. A memory flickered into her mind, a weird one at that…it seemed to have happened right before the rest of the pack ran at her, but he said something about imprinting on her, whatever the fuck that means.

"Imprinting," Jake interrupted calmly, and Shannon's eyes flickered back to him, "is a connection made from a wolf to another female who is human…or at least, _half_ human," he smirked and a few others chuckled, as if they were all in on some little secret. Shannon's eyes narrowed in distrust but she didn't open her mouth to interrupt.

"Anyway," he continued, still grinning, "this connection is really strong. It ties a certain werewolf to that girl in an almost unexplainable way… He's completely devoted to that girl. He depends on her, because she is the thing that keeps him on his feet, keeps the air in his lungs…with her gone, he wouldn't be able to live, to go on." Jake swallowed, then turned and affectionately scooped up a young, bronze-haired girl. Shannon watched in shock as the young girl (maybe eight or nine years old) kissed him on his cheek and nuzzled her face into his neck. "This is my Ness," he beamed, and proudly propped her on his shoulder. Ness leaped down and carefully sat in front of Shannon.

"It is a pleasure to meet you! It's been awfully dull here without any new people coming along," she chimed. Shannon was amazed at her perfection, and also a little sickened… This must have been what Jake meant by not all the imprints being entirely human, because this teenager certainly wasn't. She chose to ignore the freakish Ness and focused her direction, again, back to Jake.

"I still don't understand what imprinting is. It doesn't make any sense," she hissed. Jake sighed.

"I imprinted on Nessie, and she's…she is the very most important priority I have. I would give up everything, _everyone_ else, if it was for her. All the other wolves who've imprinted feel the same way. And after some…" he paused, a frown falling upon his mouth, "After a little incident, we've decided that, to protect both the imprints and the wolves that have imprinted on them, we had to bring them to this house. There's at least one wolf here at all times," he finished. Shannon's heart went cold. If she was an imprint, then she would be…confined to this house, with no hope of escape? These men, these _creatures,_ more or less, were infinitely stronger than she was. If there was going to be a thing guarding her every second of every hour of every day, they would stop her right away. No hope…there was absolutely no hope. She took a shuddering breath but willed herself not to cry quickly. Not there, not in front of _everybody_.

"And you're an imprint," Collin said softly, pushing his way through the crowd to stand in front of her. That man…he was the one who was trapping her here; it was his entire fault…if he had some sick obsession with her, then who knows what he could do. The thought of him touching her, with no way of being helped…she let out a cry of despair and wildly flung herself off the chair, scooting backwards as fast as she could, tied up as she was.

"Get away, go!" she screamed, fighting desperately to rid her body of the restraints binding her arms and legs. She ended up falling over, face smashed into the carpet. Rough hands gripped her shoulders, and when she was turned over she saw it was Collin. He had a hurt expression, but Shannon didn't care. He was a monster. "Where's Embry?" she suddenly asked, panicky. Collin's face quickly morphed into one of hurt to a furious twist of anger.

"Embry and you won't be seeing each other for a long time, honey. Okay?" Collin said, voice rising and falling in an attempt to stay as calm as he could. Shannon gasped as Collin picked her up. She wriggled until her mouth was near enough to his hand, and then bit his finger…_hard._ He stared at her in half amusement, and this only fueled her ferocious hatred for whatever he was. _Who_ he was.

"Stop fighting," he sighed, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple, "it'll only make things worse for you." A shudder ran through Shannon and she cringed away from where his lips touched her.

"We're doing this for your protection." Collin's face screwed into one of barely concealed frustration. "It's no use in trying to run…we'll always be here to protect you. Even from yourself."


	4. Chapter Three

Sorry this took a while to get out...I was writing it one way, and then I realized it wasn't working out and had to re-write three fourths of it. NOT FUN.

Anyway...thank you very much to my reviewers and also to my beta, the wonderful laurazuleta18! Thank you so much hun!

Enjoy!

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><p>Two Winters and a Summer: Chapter Three<p>

Shannon pounded her fists against the wall. She kicked the bedpost, screamed till her throat was sore. She threw everything she could find against the damn door, rattled the doorknob manically like she could somehow take the whole thing off. She took the sheet off the bed and ripped it down its middle with her hands. "Get me out of here! Let me out, you fucking sick bastard!" she screamed, blurry tears running down her cheeks. She stomped her feet, hoping to make dust rain down from the ceiling below.

Last night, after her confrontation with the pack, Collin had collected her in his arms as if she was a damn doll and carried her upstairs. She had collapsed onto the bed immediately and, ashamed as she was to do so, sobbed herself to sleep. Her spirit had been burnt out. She had been told that there was no use…she had to stay here. She was being forced in the pack's twisted happy fucking family.

Shannon was trapped…a prisoner in this white wonderland. She felt so hopeless just laying in her bed once she woke up…she couldn't take it anymore. Right then, she resolved to fight them the whole fucking way through. Those crazy _things_ weren't going to tame her easily, morph her into some brainwashed pet that followed their every order and command. They tried to tell her this shit was for her own good, but she wouldn't buy it. She'd _never_ buy it. She didn't understand how those other poor woman had willingly settled themselves into the ironclad watch of these monsters.

A deep sense of pity and disgust filled Shannon as the memory of Nessie ran through her head. The stupid girl seemed so content with where she was. She was so young…so ignorant. If these damn 'imprinters' _really_ cared about their so called mates, they would want them to be happy and free. She felt like some caged bird, wanting to get out so bad but those restraining bars were holding her back.

_Prisoner_, Shannon thought grimly. She was a fucking prisoner. But she wasn't gonna let herself be a hopeless one.

Before she could kick the wall again, the door flew open and a burly werewolf charged in, scooped her up, and dropped her on the bed. "Stop it!" Brady growled. "You're upsetting everyone and only hurting yourself. Please, _stop_ it," he begged. Shannon eyed him distrustfully then firmly shook her head.

"I'm not going to stop until you let me the fuck _out_ of here. You sick bastards can't keep me a prisoner forever!" she screamed. Brady ran a hand through his hair in frustration, which only served to satisfy her, as did knowing that she was causing their perfect little bubble to pop. If they were to cause her pain, she was going to dish it right back out at the mongrels.

"We're not keeping you prisoner…and we can't just let you leave," he sighed, almost guiltily. She scowled at his forged sympathy. No way would she buy into that bullshit so easily.

"Keeping me here against my will and not letting me leave for seemingly no reason…_hmm_, wonder what other word would fit that definition?" she snarled. Brady clenched his fists and mumbled a curse word under his breath.

"I can talk to her, Brady," a soft voice suddenly interrupted. Shannon's head whipped up to see the scarred woman from the other night standing hesitantly inside the doorway. Brady growled softly almost immediately and in a second was at her side, pushing her back with slow, careful nudges.

"No, you can't. She might hurt you. Sam wouldn't want it. He'd _kill_ me, Emily. Go entertain Claire, please…they'll all _kill_ me…" he pleaded desperately. Emily, apparently, clenched her jaw and defiantly took a step into the room. He looked back and forth between the two of them in utter turmoil. Finally, he met Emily's gaze and a silent argument seemed to take place between the two. Soon, it was evident that Emily had won because she strode the length of the room only to sit next to Shannon on the springy bed.

Brady accosted them with two sharp warning glares and then said, "I'll be standing in the hallway," he paused and leaned forward, emphasizing his next point profusely, "and _all of the wolves in the house can hear you!_ So don't say anything to…upset each other." Emily's mouth pursed but she nodded immediately.

"Alright, I'll be good," she smiled forcedly. He sighed, stepped into the hallway and shut the door.

"Sorry for that. They're so overprotective…which is really why we're here in the first place. I still love them, though." There was no conviction in her tone as she was proclaiming her apparent favor of this 'pack' of hers. Shannon raised her eyebrows questionably but Emily subtly shook her head, reached her hand into her jeans pocket and pulled out a small notebook.

"Anyway, Jake kind of explained it but you seemed so upset, maybe you didn't understand all of it. They need to keep us here because we're basically their heart. If we get hurt, they get weakened…and it is _essential_ that they don't get weakened," she said slowly, though Shannon wasn't focusing so much on the words coming out of her mouth and Emily didn't seem to be either. The tone of her voice suggested she had memorized some absurd script and was reciting it to her. Instead, she was focusing on flipping through her little notebook.

Finally, she found what she was looking for and looked up at Shannon. "This is a little poem I wrote which describes my feelings for Sam…my imprinter. Maybe things will make more sense if you read it," she suggested lightly, trying to place the pad of papers in the palm of Shannon's hand. Disgusted, she wretched her hand back and shot Emily the bird.

"I don't want to see a poem, okay? I just want out of this place. I don't like my 'imprinter' and every second I sit here I hate him even more! I hate him for taking Embry away from me! I hate this whole fucking pack for everything they've done to me in the past few days!" she whispered furiously and fervently. Emily's expression quickly turned impatient.

"No, no…I really think you _need_ to see this," she insisted, thrusting the notebook forward. Shannon angrily picked it up and threw it against the wall. She was about to push Emily off her bed, because if the room was hers than she was entitled to controlling who was in it, when Brady charged in with gritted teeth and faster than Shannon could blink had her out of the room and the door banging shut.

She screamed and ran toward the door, but it was too late…fucking locked. She rattled it desperately, but no one was coming. "Brady! LET ME OUT!" she screamed, knowing he was just outside. She kicked and kneed the wood as hard as she could, hoping that maybe the locks would give a little or the wood might break…no such luck.

With one final yell, Shannon pounded her fist against the wall. Immediately she regretted it as a sharp pain shot through her wrist and through her hand. Hissing, she cradled her delicate left hand to her stomach. _Stupid, damn werewolves_, she thought bitterly. Hesitantly, the door cracked open and Brady's softened expression was shown.

"What happened? Oh…aw shit, Collin's going to _kill_ me. Come here, let me see it," he said gently. She distrustfully stepped backwards and he sighed. "Come on…I won't bite," he coaxed. He made his way over to her as if she were an injured baby animal and she figured there wasn't much she could do about it except sit there. The pack had definitely shown their physical dominance over her, and she was afraid that they would hurt her if she challenged that.

He had just started to kneel by her side when Shannon's imprinter, the bastard named Collin, tumbled into the room furiously. "What happened?" he growled, and then whirled to Brady. _"You _fucking…fucking _dick! You let my imprint get hurt?_" He seemed livid and completely dangerous, and this made Shannon tremble. He could hurt her so easily, and the image of him slipping his large fingers around her neck and squeezing until she had no breath left etched itself into her mind before she realized what exactly she was picturing.

Shannon cringed as he took her stinging wrist in his palms. She didn't like his touch – it felt wrong and sent horrible shivers up her spine. "Don't touch me!" she griped while jerking away. Collin froze and calmly backed away from her, though she could tell he was deeply hurt. She didn't feel even a little bit of hurt, because he was causing her _just_ as much pain, if not even more.

"Okay, okay… I won't touch you. I just don't want you to experience more pain. Would you let Brady examine it, please?" he asked carefully. His voice was smooth, gruff, and patronizing. Shannon's foot twitched as the thought of kicking him flashed through her head…but that would only cause her more problems. Jaw clenched, she nodded and extended her arm so Brady could look at it. He told her to do this or that and she complied easily.

"Alright…I don't think that it's broken or sprained or anything. I don't think it's necessary to call in the Doc, but she could maybe use some pain medicine," he said with a furrowed brow. Shannon raised her eyebrows…he didn't look any older than twenty-five.

"How _old_ are you? How do you know all this doctor stuff?" she asked suspiciously. Brady smiled a little and shrugged as Collin ran off. Shannon hoped he wouldn't come back, but it was quickly dashed as he waltzed in not a second later with a glass of water and the medicine she was supposed to take.

"The Doc trained me a little…just the basics, you know, but with my heightened senses it's easier than normal for me to comprehend, so I got a little ahead…" he trailed off, stood up and then backed away as Collin approached apprehensively. He knelt so he was eye level with her again and hesitantly let the pills dropped into her palm. Shannon scowled at the small things.

"How do I know this isn't a sedative or some shit, and you just want me to lose consciousness?" she asked. Collin looked at his feet shamefully.

"It hurts," he whispered, "that you'd even consider me doing something like that. God, you have to understand that…you are the most _important person in the world_ to me. Any ounce of pain you feel, I feel it too only it seems magnified to me. When you hurt your wrist, I got so panicked I took two trees down on my way to get you." Collin looked so frustrated, but Shannon didn't buy it. He was lying…if he cared about her, if there was some sort of connection between them like that, then he'd know just how distressed she was just being in this stupid fucking room.

"It'll only help you, and if I'm lying you won't have to take any medicine of ours _ever_ again. Okay?" he asked warily. Shannon frowned and toyed with the little pills before popping them into her mouth…she'd take her chances, because her wrist _really_ stung. She poured the cup of water down her mouth and swallowed them quickly.

"Good girl," Collin murmured before patting her knee cautiously. She cringed away.

"Go away…I want to be alone now," she whispered. He nodded and then paused.

"I'll…leave the door open. I think we can trust you a little bit now," he smiled. Shannon's stomach churned in disgust at his statement, because she didn't _want _them to trust her, because she sure as fuck wasn't going to trust them.

Furiously, she collapsed onto the bed and slammed a pillow over her face; she wanted this nightmare to be over.


	5. Chapter Four

Hey all! Being a new mother is really hard, and as I'm sure at least a few of my readers know, a great joy. :) My babies are doing wonderful, but they are sure a handful!

I did FINALLY get this chapter to work out and sent it to my fantabulous beta, laurazuleta18! I love this chica, she is my digi-bestie! *huggles*

Enjoy!

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><p>Two Winters and a Summer: Chapter Four<p>

How was it possible that Shannon could become so attached to a room that acted as her prison? The creamy walls were a source of intrigue as she searched for a hidden door or window, silly as it seems. She was desperate to escape and thought diligently of her family and how worried they must be about her…

She was forced to get more creative as her hours in what her captors called the 'Pack House' grew and stretched. There were long periods where she was alone. If she asked for water it was provided any time…apparently they could hear every single thing she said or did. This caused her great stress but she tried to focus on each individual second. She couldn't bear to look into the future, because she would still see herself in that room. She hated it, but she didn't know what she would do without it.

Shannon ripped one of her sheets in half and would spend hours making knots, untying them, and then retying them again. She knew she had to keep her energy level up, so she'd jog around in circles, do a few jumping jacks…sometimes she would jump on the bed until she could touch the ceiling.

She asked for paper and pencils, so she sketched as well. It was painful to feel so dependent on anybody, much less the wolves. They brought her three daily meals and snacks at random times, but she always refused what wasn't necessary.

Collin was the only one to visit her and she always spent that time pressing herself against the wall furthest from him and refusing to make a sound, not one. He tried very hard to get her to talk, but it was useless. He had taken away _everything_ from her, including Embry.

A dull ache spread through her chest. She missed him so much…missed the way his thumb would softly caress her forehead and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, missed the way he would exhale across her neck tickling her, and most of all she missed the way he held her…as if they were sharing the last moments on Earth and time was running out. His embrace had always been rough, definitely not careful and Shannon _loved_ it that way.

Sometimes she closed her eyes and tried to memorize every inch of the faces of those she loved and missed. On several occasions she'd ask one of the wolves who brought her food or opened the door so she could use the restroom about Embry, or if she could use a phone to speak to her mother but they almost never replied.

Only the one named Brady would speak to her. He tried to convince her to calm down and interact with people, but she was adamant that nothing of the sort would happen.

Once, she succumbed to misery and lay in bed all day. They practically had to force her to eat or relieve herself. The depression pressed down on her so horribly she couldn't stand, thought only of escaping the room any way she could, even if that meant ending _everything_…her breath, her heartbeat, her life.

She felt so weak, like she couldn't run or jump or move. Giving up was the only thought that entertained her. She tried to imagine the different ways…

It would be tough to do so in her room, simply because there wasn't much to work with. There were a few hooks by the door, and she wondered if it'd be possible to use one of the sheets as a rope and tie it around her neck, the other end having to be tied around the hook nearest the ceiling. She would have to push the end table near the bed for her to stand in. She could simply step off it and dangle as soundlessly as possible in the air until she was finally, well, dead…

She figured this wouldn't work too well, simply because a wolf could come barging in at any moment and lift her right up, rip the sheet in half and then put her under more of a lockdown than she already had been.

Another possibility, the only other one she could think of, was to drown herself in the bathtub during one of her breaks. She could simply tell them she was going to take a bath and not keep the water running and just make sure her head stayed under no matter what.

She was still afraid they'd break down the door when they noticed she wasn't breathing, but there was nothing else she could think of. The thought of existing like this for the rest of her life…it terrified her. She could sense no loosening of this fascist pack's strength.

The next day, she woke up and started frantically banging on the door. She had to get out or she'd kill herself…she knew there'd be more days, just like yesterday, and she didn't want to die but she would convince herself that she had to…

One of the imprinted wolves named Paul tumbled into the room and immediately took her outside of the House altogether. It felt amazing to breath in fresh air, but shocking nonetheless because it'd felt like so long since she had seen real sunlight…

Collin was soon by her side, and even though it made Shannon hate herself, she let him take her in his arms and coddle her until she calmed down. She despised that it felt…good. Her body was begging her to give in and cuddle tight next to his chest. Her mind refused, and instead she opted to just lay flat and sob her heart out.

She didn't confess her thoughts of suicide, but she did tell him that she couldn't bear being in that room all day every day any longer. It was torturous. He agreed immediately and said she was free to come out and sit on the porch of the House or talk with any of the imprints in the living room.

She was afraid that they would…brainwash her, but she'd rather that than killing herself.

So, Shannon tentatively stood in the doorway of her room and blinked at the stairs at the end of the hallway. She had never actually walked down the stairs. She was carried several times, but she'd never actually stepped on them.

For some reason it seemed like a big deal. She thought of it as surrendering almost. It took a huge chunk of her pride to lose such an important battle. Shannon had to keep reminding herself that while she did lose a battle, she hadn't yet lost the war.

She would kick and punch and scream. Fuck yeah…she wouldn't go down without a fucking fight.

Maybe the way to start, she considered, was to…pretend to warm to their ways. Shannon would have to try and make 'friends' with these people, the other imprints. She may have to resort to speaking regularly with Collin. She hated contemplating these things, but she would rather try it than never know what would have happened as she lay on her death bed up in that room.

Slowly, Shannon made her way into the living room of the House. A silence stretched as everybody came to face her. She noticed that all of the imprints she'd met were there, Emily, Claire, Rachel, Nessie, and Janice, along with Sam and Brady. A spasm of fear caused her hands to shake. She noticed there were small beads of sweat on her palms and hastily rubbed them on her shirt.

"Hello," Rachel finally said, breaking the awkward silence. "I…do you remember all of us from the first night you were here?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes, I remember you all," Shannon replied as neutrally as she could muster. The two younger girls in the room, the four-year-old Claire and the nine-year-old Nessie, were gazing at her with a sense of curiosity and alarm.

"Qwuil says you're naughty," Claire piped up. Almost immediately, she was snatched up by Emily and got a murmured scolding. Sighing, she turned to Shannon and apologized.

"Come and sit next to me, Shannon," Emily smiled warmly while patting the seat next to her. Shannon tried not to show her distaste as she made her way over and plopped down onto the cushion. Damn, none of those people knew the meaning of discrete.

"So…what were you talking about?" Shannon asked after a moment. The seven shared looks gave her a clue, they'd been speaking of _her_, but Emily quickly jumped in and started chatting away.

"We were just making idle chit-chat. Brady and Sam were telling us about the odd scent they'd caught…said it was human but it's very weird for a human to be so far into the forest! It's very worrying," she rambled. Shannon blinked at her. Fuck, if this was what they talked about all day maybe the only option left _was_ to shoot herself. She couldn't live so plainly…tears gathered in the corners of her eyes but she banished them immediately. _Not in front of everyone_, she reminded herself.

Swallowing, Shannon forced a sympathetic smile and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that might be. It's probably just some hikers who're interested in the scenery…or maybe they are exploring the area based on reports of giant wolf sightings." She raised her eyebrows.

"And that's precisely why we're worried. We don't want innocent people snooping around in the land we have to protect," Sam said coolly. Emily huffed and glared at Sam warningly before turning back to Shannon.

"Anyway," she began sweetly, "I was wondering if you'd like to come out to the garden with me? Sam can sit on the porch so we can have the illusion of privacy," Emily smiled fondly. Shannon fought the urge to puke…this woman was _okay_ with the fact that she would never have seclusion or time to herself again? She was reminded of a housewife from the fifties, completely docile and submissive. She wished to stand and scream that it was now the twenty-first century and women had equal rights as well as complete _freedom_!

"Sure," Shannon finally croaked, frustration coloring her tone. It would be more difficult that she had imagined pretending to live by the Pack's rules. She felt like a prisoner. And she had done nothing, absolutely _nothing_ to deserve it.

"Great!" Emily exclaimed happily. Shannon followed her out to the apparent garden, which was actually very impressive. Fruits, vegetables, and an assortment of flowers were laid out in front of her like a portrait and from just watching Emily stare at it; she realized that the garden may be the only true joy left in the scarred woman's life.

"Just over here…oh, be careful not to step on those, they're just blooming," Emily said worriedly as she carefully avoided trotting on a patch of yellow flowers.

"Sorry," Shannon muttered but Emily waved the apology away.

"That's fine, I'm just too darn protective of these plants…" she trailed off affectionately. They ended up resting against a tree set in the back of the plot, mostly just staring into the grass. Shannon didn't feel much like talking, so she was disappointed when Emily started doing so.

"So, I was thinking that you might be interested in reading the poems I told you about earlier in the week. I know you said you didn't want to see them, but I really believe you should," she suggested in a passive squeak. Out of the corner of Shannon's eye, she saw Sam tense…she wondered if he would spring on her if she were to tell Emily no.

Shannon nodded, not trusting her tongue. When she was younger, it got her into a lot of timeouts…something was telling her that there was a lot more at risk than having to sit in a corner for five minutes.

Emily seemed genuinely relieved as she took out her little notebook. She seemed to carry it around in her bra, which she found very…unusual. Emily smiled softly as she caught her staring. "I like to keep it safe…my poetry is very important to me," she murmured.

Shannon watched as she flipped through a few pages and nodded when she, apparently, found the one she was looking for. "Here," Emily said proudly, "read this."

She took the pad of paper from Emily's hand and scanned the page morosely.

And then she froze…because she sure as hell didn't expect to see what she did.

_Show no change of expression as you read this, or try really hard not to. There is a resistance from the imprinted wolves. I am the only imprint you can trust, but also rely on the wolves Brady, Seth, George, Craig, and Nico if you must. We are all working very hard to find a plan to escape. Pretend to give in to Collin, give him what he wants. Ask to keep this note, say it…it gives you inspiration or something. Shortly after we go inside ask to go to the bathroom and flush it down the toilet. No wolves can see this, not even those mentioned above._

Shannon's heartbeat fluttered and she nervously tried to calm herself. "Um, this is…really beautiful Emily. Could I keep this?" she asked tentatively. As Emily nodded, Shannon wondered just what she had gotten herself into.


	6. Chapter Five

Sorry for the longish wait! My babies are almost three months! *eeps* Anyway, I want to thank all the reviewers and my fabulous beta, laurazuleta18. This chica...frig, she's awesome! Got this chapter back like THAT!

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Two Winters and a Summer: Chapter Five<strong>

"I love you, Shannon," Collin murmured against Shannon's neck. Inwardly she snarled with rage, but outwardly she nuzzled him back… it was essential that she did, no matter how excessive the emotional toll was. He snuffed his nose against her neck and inhaled deeply.

She tried to relax. Think happy thoughts. The Pack could smell her emotions, a problem that was extremely exhausting to manage. She had to be careful about what she said, so that her feelings would match with what her mouth said. They could prove she was lying all too easily.

"You smell… angry," Collin finally rumbled. Shannon sucked in a deep breath and offered a tentative smile.

"I am angry… I'm angry that I can't give in to you like I want. I'm angry that I can't bring myself to fall for you completely." _Lies._

His expression softened as he cupped her cheek. She smiled at him.

"Baby, oh baby," he crooned. "I'm so sorry… if only we had met, before you met… anyone else." His eyes darkened considerably and Shannon's anger coiled and sprung to the surface, twisting her mouth and darkening her eyes. Before she let herself snap at Collin, she nodded. She _had_ to keep this caged, boiling fury at bay…

"Yeah, I do too." Her murmur seemed to make Collin very happy, because a contented growl reverberated through his body and he pressed his forehead to hers.

"I love you," he repeated. Shannon swallowed heavily at this horrendous _lie_. He could never love her, not when he barely knew her! He claimed to have been in love since first meeting her, and that was complete bullshit. She'd hated him; he'd hated her even if he couldn't actually bring himself to admit it.

_Imprints_, she thought bitterly.

"I know," she whispered back. If she wanted to have him fully convinced, she really should've returned the statement… but that was out of the question. She could not let herself speak those words to anyone but the man she _was_ actually in love with.

Embry… fuck, she missed him. Her body was craving for his touch. She despised herself for doing so, but she began to pretend that Collin's fingers were Embry's, and suddenly it was much nicer. Shockingly, she relaxed as he massaged her hand. "Well, fuck damn…"

"_Damn," Shannon cursed as her heel caught in a drain._

"_Need some help there?" an amused voice rumbled. Startled, she jumped and found herself facing one of the most attractive men she'd ever met. Muscles bulged from underneath his shirt, and she didn't even try to hide her ogling of his arms._

_He did not wait for a reply. Instead, he hooked his hands under her arms and lifted her up then placed her safely on the sidewalk. Her cheeks burned at being lifted like a baby, but she also admired his strength. Her eyes flickered down and she saw, to her delight, that he did not look small…by _any_ means._

"_I'm Embry Call," he greeted with a grin full of white, crooked teeth…she instantly fell in love with his smile._

"_Shannon," she replied, beaming._

"_So, Shannon…"_

"Shannon? _Hello_? You there?" Collin's joking voice hoisted her out of the deep realms of her mind. The memory, having been cut off, hung in her head like the remnants of a dead animal. She offered him a strained smile and he gently smoothed it out with his thumb. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Oh," she said dismissively, "just some bad memories." Her chest burned with all the lies she'd been telling… meeting Embry was one of her _favorite_ memories. It was becoming painful. Collin sighed and kissed her nose softly.

"Stop dwelling on the bad, and focus on the now… the _good_," he beamed. Shannon giggled as he softly tickled her stomach, halfheartedly pushing his hand back.

"Stop it!" she demanded, breathless as he continued to attack her. The laughter was real, for a first time, mostly because she was extremely ticklish. Embry used it to _his_ advantage frequently.

Oh, fuck… _Embry._ Embry, Embry…

"_Embry fucking Call, who's the hottie on your arm, because it sure can't be your girlfriend!" A young man guffawed as Embry glowered._

"_Shut it, Chubby. Guys, this is Shannon. Shannon, this is Chub and Nico, the two dumbest motherfuckers on the face of the planet," he smirked. The one named Nico tilted his head to the side and flashed Shannon a grin._

"_Okay, that _might_ be true, but the fact of the matter is you are almost as stupid as us," the muscled man insisted. Shannon pressed her hand to her mouth to hide her smile as Chub slapped the other boy on the neck._

_The three friends were nearly identical, the only major differences being Embry was significantly taller than they were and Nico was more slight, and plain. Chub seemed to be naturally good-looking, whereas Embry was exotic, not as clearly defined._

_She stepped forward and held out her hands, but the two continued to ignore her. From the looks of it, they were in some sort of mental competition, holding each other's stares until one of them looked down. Only a second after she'd figured this out, Chubby ducked his head and grumbled something that sounded strangely like, "…stupid-ass rankings…"_

_She dismissed this and politely stuck her hand in Nico's face. He chuckled and shook it before pulling her in for a hug. "Emb talks about you non-stop…it's like we're already best friends!" he said cheerfully. Shannon squeaked but patted the large boy's back._

"_Okay, stop squishing her, Nico," Embry grunted with a roll of his eyes._

"_Damn it, ugh, Embry! Save me!" she screeched. At the sound of his laughter, she bristled and glared accusingly over her shoulder._

"_Save you yourself, Cupcake," her boyfriend grinned. Spewing curse words like a sailor, Shannon finally managed to wriggle free of Nico's hold and landed in a flump on the ground only to see three, muscled guys staring at her in amusement._

"_You're a jerk," she grumbled. Shannon stood and dusted the dirt off her pants the best she could. Embry smirked._

"_Aw, Cupcake," he snickered, "they just wanted to play with you…"_

"You, Shannon, are one amazing woman," Collin rumbled. Without realizing it, Shannon had been gently rubbing the back of Collin's neck, something she'd done to Embry all the time.

"Oh," she giggled awkwardly, "well, thank you." He sighed contentedly and smiled against the bare skin of her back…

"_Back off," Embry barked at the sweaty, chubby man trying to grasp Shannon's ass. She slumped in relief as he shoved the man away and dropped into the seat next to her._

"_You want me to beat him up?" he offered with a humorous twinkle in his eye. Shannon stifled a giggle._

"_Well, thanks for offering, but I don't think it'll be necessary…you scared him enough already!"_

"_Having a buff boyfriend must have its advantages," Embry nodded, inspecting a chip and then shoving it in his mouth. Shannon snorted._

"_Buff is sort of an understatement, Emb. How many hours do you work out again?" she asked lazily, already knowing the answer: zero. Damn it, she was jealous. She usually thought of herself as relatively skinny but next to him she was fucking chubby._

"_We should dance," he suggested with a grin, already pulling her to her feet. Shannon giggled and swung her arms around his waist happily. Dancing with Embry was like dancing with the devil himself._

_They made their way to the center of the floor just as a new song came on. Shannon's eyes were glinting mischievously, almost evilly. Damn, how she loved to dance._

_She took Embry's hand and draped it over her shoulder. The other hand almost unconsciously found its way to her waist, but she smirked and shoved it off. "No way, douchebag. You work for the waist. For now it's one hand, and on the fucking shoulders." She quirked a smile his way and he chuckled._

"_Got it," he nodded seriously._

_And then they began to move. It wasn't long before she was sweating, moving her hips back and forth in perfect tandem to the beat, one hand in the air and the other grabbing Embry's ass. Her head was thrown back and she was mouthing the words along with the song. Embry's eyes were drinking her in sexily._

"_See anything you like?" she breathed, trying to wipe the strands of hair off her face. Embry simply batted them back down in front of her eyes. She huffed._

"_Fuck yes, babe. Keep dancing," he encouraged with a grin. She smiled and did just as he asked, thanking the lord that she had picked up her phone when he'd called that afternoon._

_She was so happy, in fact, that she let him bring his hands down to her waist, and lower still so he was gripping one of her belt hoops and craddling the back of one of her thighs with his other hand. He was so tall, his arms were _so long_ and she was getting into it, even more so than before. She leaned against him and felt the weight of his body moving against her own, molding as he shifted to compliment her perfectly. There were people all around them, but she was focusing solely on him. In that moment it was only he who mattered, and her stomach twisted just a tiny bit when their eyes met…_

_She decided she could let herself fall for this one._

"…one more minute, and then you'll be able to talk to her," Collin finished, kissing Shannon's neck delicately. She pressed her lips together, wondering what the hell he was talking about. She wished he wouldn't touch her so softly…it was fucking ridiculous, like she was made of glass. While she held nothing but the utmost abhorrence for Collin, she always liked things to go a bit rough and she knew that _if_ things had been different, _much different_, she would have been quite bored with this man.

"Talk to who?" Shannon finally asked, feigning interest. He gently tapped her butt, a rebuke that went much unappreciated. A smile was still lighting his face.

"Well, you zoned out, huh?" Collin pressed his forehead to Shannon's and attempted a butterfly kiss. She almost barfed…that was just…_gross._ "I was saying that I need to talk to you, and then in just one more minute Kim will be done with the phone and you can talk with your mom," he said brightly.

Shannon's heart skipped a beat, hope barely concealed beneath her expression. Her mother..? Maybe she could slip in a clue, and find out a way to call the cops. As if sensing her thoughts, Collin firmly interrupted them.

"We're giving you a cover story, and if you _don't_ stick to the plan, then we'll have to take the phone away…oh, don't get upset. You are connected to the Pack. Just walking outside could mark a target on your back, and there are so many other dangers in the world. We've already told you this, and while you're starting to realize it, I know you have some doubts. So, please, for _my_ sake, stick to the plan," he whispered pleadingly. Shannon's heart hardened into a self-hating resolve.

She knew, she _knew_, that she'd have to do as Collin asked, because there was no way she'd be able to give up enough over the phone before it would be jerked away, and there was still the whole Emily situation, which she wasn't sure about, at least one-hundred percent. "Alright," she said quietly, "tell me what I need to know."

So he did.

He told her that they had friends who forged school acceptance letters, and that she was finally living out her dream as a lawyer with a full scholarship to Oxford University. Which was total bullshit. She had mentioned to Embry, _once_, that almost all the way through high school she wanted to be a lawyer, and then she dropped out and opted to go the accountant route instead, which she didn't regret all that much. Sad as it was, she had actually _liked_ being an accountant and she missed her job.

But her parents would buy it, and they'd be proud. Apparently her cell phone reception was bad in England, so she hadn't been able to call them that way, but 'she' wrote them many letters of a reassurance, along with quite a few pictures of her and her friends, both of whom looked suspiciously like Emily and Janice.

Anger coursed through her unabashedly. She couldn't get a hold of it.

So she excused herself to the bathroom and breathed deeply until her emotions were in check. She had to _in control_ for the following conversation.

Once she made her way downstairs she was handed the phone and told that she was talking through a 'phone booth' and she only had 'three minutes to talk'. Once her mom picked up, she quickly told her this.

She was fine. She was having a great time. Yes, she was studying hard. She was keeping up her grades. She was fine on money, she missed her too. She would call more often. She promised. She loved her too. Her three minutes were almost up…yes, they would talk soon. She was safe. She was sorry for not telling her before she left. She loved her so much, she was glad to hear her voice. Goodbye.

Shannon loved her mom so much, and it broke her heart to lie to her. She promised herself that one day, she would fix these lies. She'd make it up to her mom.

Hanging up the phone, hopelessness washed over Shannon like it never had before.


	7. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I do not own and have never claimed to own the Twilight saga, its plot, or any of its characters.

Thank you, SO MUCH, to my fabulous beta, laurazuleta18. She got this chapter back like THAT, which is double awesome cause I've been a b*tch and haven't updated in forever. Sigh. Sorry about that.

In better news...I've succeeded in planning out the entire rest of the story! :D

Enjoy!

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><p>Two Winters and a Summer: Chapter Six<p>

Shannon leaned against the doorway, trembling as she clumsily extricated the folded paper from her pocket. It was from a standard notebook, words scribbled in neat lines to form a poem-like stature. She had to praise Emily for her detail. The wolves would notice if she didn't have a specific pattern to her writing.

Carefully, she scanned the note.

_I've figured out a way to  
>communicate secretly.<br>We can play hangman  
>and every other letter<br>will make up a word._

It would take much thinking prior to their game, but Shannon wouldn't have been able to think of it. Emily was quite smart, to be able to come up with a plan like that. Their only hope was that the wolves would never figure it out…she shuddered at the thought of them doing so.

She quickly dropped the note into the toilet, did her business and then flushed all of it away.

Shannon calmed herself completely before exiting the bathroom and going towards the main room, where most of the imprints and the wolves were seated.

As she scanned to see who was in the room, she froze.

And then she was running as fast as she could and leaping into Nico's arms without abandon. He laughed and caught her. She scrambled to let go and then threw her arms around Chubby for a quick hug before backing away, still grinning. "What are you guys _doing_ here?" she asked breathlessly. If the Pack let those two in then maybe Embry – no! She cut herself off abruptly and chased those thoughts out of her mind…she would not allow herself to get her hopes up when she knew for a fact Collin would never let Embry anywhere near her again.

"Guys! Oh god!" she cried, threading her fingers through Chubby's. They smiled nervously at her before starting to shuffle her toward the stairs.

"We should talk in your room," they suggested lightly. Shannon nodded eagerly and motioned the men toward the stairs, barely containing her relief that her old friends still existed. Everyone had refused to talk about them along with Embry, so she'd assumed the worst. They didn't look bruised up or malnourished, but that didn't mean Collin hadn't pushed the Pack on torturing Embry. Shame must've been an apparent scent in her bloodstream because Nico silently bumped her shoulder in rebuke. He had done this often, but she had never understood fully until now. It was such a wolf-like action.

Once they got to her room, Shannon shut the door firmly behind her. The locks were, of course, on the outside so any imprint could barge in on any minute. She'd have to trust the wolves' ears to know if any spies were coming…actually, she wasn't sure they'd be able to talk openly now. One of the Imprinted wolves could be listening in, if they were patrolling the house.

Shannon questioned the two with her eyes, wondering. Nico grinned openly and leaned against her wall.

"Seth and Brady are patrolling. We're all good," he murmured. Shannon's knees almost gave way. For the first time in _so_ long, she could talk openly…_freely_. She staggered across the room and fell into Nico's arms. She clutched his shirt tightly and opened her mouth, gaping like a fish. She was trying to speak, to ask the question she was so desperate to hear an answer to. Nico seemed to understand, because he gently unclenched her hands and moved her between he and Chubby on the bed.

"He's okay, Shannon. He was ordered to stay in Seattle, not come near you or the Imprint House. It's tough on him, but he wanted us to come back and visit, to see how you were doing," Chubby said hesitantly. Shannon was frozen, and then she began to sob. Her worst thoughts, most horrible nightmares, had been of Collin killing Embry, or torturing him. And now…she knew he was perfectly fine, she could live with that, he was all that mattered.

It was like…the pressure of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Nico pulled her to his chest and hugged her tightly until her cries were softened to quiet hiccups. "Thanks," she finally mumbled, embarrassed of her breakdown. She wouldn't have ever let Nico and Chubby see her cry…before…before so much happened.

Wobbly, she straightened her back and pulled away from both of them. "What are you guys planning? What is Emily planning? What the hell is _going_ _on_?" Shannon demanded. She was sick of the Pack's refusal to give her any straight answers. The two wolves exchanged long looks.

"It's…more complicated than you imagine," Nico finally sighed. Shannon's eyes narrowed, demanding he elaborate further. "The thing is there is a group of us who don't…agree, with what the imprinted wolves are doing. At all. That group, unfortunately, doesn't include the Alpha, Beta _or_ Third."

"Alpha? Beta? What are…?" Shannon trailed off in confusion.

"They're the rankings. Jake is the Alpha of our Pack, Sam the Beta, and Paul the Third. When Jake tells us to do or say something, we…we _have_ to do it. It's like he has complete control over all of us." Nico shuddered, and Shannon did too. She didn't realize how tight Jake's grip was…

"Anyway," he murmured after a moment, "we have to do our best to hide our thoughts or they'll be able to lock us in so we can't break the rules…we'd never be able to save you guys." Shannon's eyes widened, her heart thrumming with excitement.

"So what _is_ this plan? How are you going to help me and Emily?" she whispered pleadingly. Nico met her gaze empathetically while Chubby balled his fists.

"We have to be sneaky. The right circumstances have to be set up, we can't afford to mess up," he began, and then froze. Their expressions, in an instant, went from tense but relieved to a terrified horror. Shannon's blood ran cold as they exchanged glances and then bolted from the room, scrambling past each other in their desperation. She stopped herself from calling out for them to wait, the words just barely hovering on the tip of her tongue.

The door slammed shut with finality. Shaking, she sank to her knees and wondered what the hell had just happened. Had another wolf come and overheard them?

She heard shouting from downstairs soon, and leapt to her feet. She tried to open the door, but it was locked…like it had been so many other times. Who had done that? She hadn't seen Chubby or Nico do anything…they had been in too much of a hurry…had another wolf snuck up and locked her in that short minute of time without her even noticing? Her stomach churned.

Maybe Nico and Chubby _had_ been overheard… and that meant all hope was lost. They'd said they could just be ordered not to do anything, and now all their chances were dashed completely and utterly. Tears in her eyes, she crawled to the bed and heaved herself on top of it, throwing the pillow over her face.

That was the only hope she had. Those two, they were it. The only people who could save her and Emily. The wolves could lock them up forever and ever without any questioning. There was nothing; _nothing she could ever do to escape_. She would be in this room for the rest of her life. She would never see her family again, she would be forced to do things she couldn't even bear the thought of doing, maybe even forced to love… _Collin_. She winced at the thought; this was all just fucked up.

She would never feel freedom, or let herself go to a wicked party, or make out with a random guy because she was drunk and bored. Shannon had no choices; they'd all been made for her. She was a breeder, a bitch raised for giving birth and nothing more.

Collin held the key to her cage. He had shown her how helpless she was by stripping her of her identity and will.

Pressing her face to her pillow to prevent tears, Shannon cleared her head of thought, of emotion, and tried to sleep. It was impossible, though. There were too many thoughts, too much sorrow, woven through her brain. She tossed and turned and tried to tune out the screaming going on downstairs.

Only when she heard the smashing footsteps down to her room did her bolt upright, quaking in dread.

Her door flung open without being unlocked and Collin stood in the doorway, trembling. His form was shaking, his expression fighting ferocity. His lips moved but no sound came out, his fingers curling and clenching spastically. Shannon cried out and flung herself against the far wall, hands quickly rising to cover her face.

Collin strode forward and grabbed her shirt, pulling her up to his chest. His black eyes were stormy and belligerent as he pulled her to his face. Whimpering, she tried to move away from him. This was the scariest she'd ever seen him at. He looked like…like he was actually going to hurt her.

"What did they tell you, Shannon? _What did they tell you?_" he demanded in outrage. Shannon couldn't hold her panic back anymore and struck at him, her hands flying against his chest uselessly.

This seemed to only anger him further, because he threw her to the bed and stood over her, even more domineering of a position than before. "If you don't tell me what they told you, so help me God!" he screamed, eyes wild.

"No, no! I won't!" she sobbed. Collin opened his mouth again, wanting so bad to yell at her more, but choked off quickly. With one last searing glare, he streaked out and shut the door firmly behind him.

Shannon still couldn't catch her breath as the lock clicked and she was once again left behind.


	8. Chapter Seven

This one goes out to Laurazuleta18 for being the best beta EVER! :D *hugs and twirls*

Also, thanks very much to Stealth Liberal for her plot hunting with me. ^-^

WARNING: This chapter contains some dark material such as near rape and violence. If nudity of any kind makes you uncomfortable, do not read.

Enjoy!

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><p>Two Winters and a Summer: Chapter Seven<p>

Shannon paced.

Her room was once again locked. Her visitors only tight-lipped, imprinted wolves who handed her a meal and left. She would be escorted to the bathroom with complete silence stretching throughout the house then immediately be shoved back inside. There was absolutely _nothing_ for her to occupy herself with, so she took to counting the floorboards. Then she began to estimate the perimeter and area of the room based on her own height and the number of strides she was able to walk.

Once that wore on her and she'd checked the math several hundred times, Shannon used a dull pencil to draw a hopscotch game on the floor and used a wadded sock to play. She knew she needed to get exercise, she'd probably put on a good twenty pounds since being locked up. All the wolves did was feed her after all.

She went several days without seeing Collin and, discouragingly, she found herself thinking of him during those hours. She wondered if he was okay, if he was eating, if he was mad at her, or if he would never see her again… Several times Shannon had to remind herself that she _didn't_ want that monster of a man to come back. She hated him, she… Well, she thought she hated him. He had big ears, but his smile was rather nice and white. And his abs…damn, did he have some nice abs!

She struggled with herself constantly. Most of her was still very much in love with Embry and wanted nothing to do with the man who'd kept her prisoner, but there was something else that was slowly dragging her to Collin regardless of her own opinion or wants. It gnawed on her day in and day out, begging for her to give in and take the one she was 'meant to be with'.

Some days she would lay in bed sweating and shaking, praying for the imprint side of her to go away. It wanted to be near Collin, but she didn't goddamn it! She hated him so much and it wasn't fair that a force outside of her will was brainwashing her into believing he cared for her. Once, she began to gag and finally threw up. Eventually she fell asleep, turned away from the vomit so as to not inhale the stink of it.

When she woke the mess was cleaned up with nobody in sight. Her mouth was dry and tasted like shit. A thick, crusty substance covered her teeth. Trying to pick it off with her finger, she dejectedly sat up and pulled the blankets over her body. Teeth chattering, she curled up and tried to think of anything _but_ Collin, which seemed nearly impossible.

She continued to lie in bed, depressed and exhausted for no reason at all, until she heard someone coming down the hall to her room. She expected it to be another bathroom break, perhaps a snack or meal, but to her shock Collin stepped through the door.

He looked gray and haphazard, deep lines under his eyes. Faded cuts appeared over his face, chest, and arms. The cold, drained feeling inside of her immediately warmed to a content lull. It was instant and sudden and the change was almost too much for her. Lip trembling, Shannon rose to her feet.

Collin's eyes darkened and then he was crushing her to his chest, pressing his mouth to the top of her head like it was the only way he could save his life. His limbs tightened around her and he breathed her scent deeply. She held herself still, unable to move. Chaotic thoughts raced through her lead like wildfire. Her arms almost mechanically threaded around his back, but she didn't want to do that… No, she did, Collin was her soul mate, wasn't he?

_Embry_. She loved Embry. She hadn't seen him in so long…and she didn't need to. She had Collin now, didn't she? But she didn't want him. He was being forced on her! She had the right to fall in love with someone on her own terms!

"Stop!" she gasped hurriedly, pushing away from his chest. Collin made a hurt, angry noise in the back of his throat. She stumbled away from him and into the wall, terrified whimpers escaping her mouth. Collin hunched his shoulders and took a step towards her, dark eyes glinting dangerously.

"I don't understand why you're afraid of me, Shannon. I love you. I've loved you even before knowing you…you are my imprint. I was _built_ to accommodate you," he murmured pleadingly. Shannon's fists clenched.

"To accommodate, not love!" she spat. Collin flinched back from her words then took two more steps towards her, effectively trapping her against the wall. Her breath became ragged when he moved in closer, their thighs brushing. He brushed his lips across her cheek and Shannon again tried to shove him away. This time, he didn't budge.

"Get away from me," she demanded. Collin growled and pulled in closer. His mouth was positioned near her nose, and she could smell his breath, a distinct beef jerky scent that she detested. He pressed his lips against hers and she held still for a moment, not responding. And then she was thrashing and screaming as loud as she could, peeling her mouth away from his.

Collin furiously grabbed her arm and slammed it against the wall. She cried out in pain, but he didn't seem to notice this time. Their eyes met and for once, Shannon truly sensed the monster inside of this poor boy. He could have had a normal life, a happy one. Instead he had turned into an animal.

And then his hand struck the back of her cheek. She saw stars for a long time. Shannon didn't even know it when she slumped against the wall, or as Collin carried her to the bed swiftly. She wasn't aware of him undressing her or Collin undressing himself. Everything was blurry and undefined and confusing.

Only when he lowered his body over hers, hard dick pressing into her stomach, did she realize what was going on. Terrified, Shannon held still. He had hit her. He had hit her. He had hit her.

_He had hit her_. She was supposed to be his imprint, his 'true love', and he had hurt her. She started to sit up and he pushed her back down roughly. She tried to slip away but he always pulled her back. Finally Shannon fought. She kicked and hit him but this seemed to egg him on even further. When she tried to bite him, she practically broke her teeth.

Crying out in pain, she wiggled as much as she could. Irritated, Collin pushed his hand against her chest and held her in one place. No matter how hard she tried to move, she couldn't. She was trapped.

He had her at his total disposal. He could kill her. He could…he could do what he was doing now. Oh, fuck. Oh dear lord, no, please stop! Choked sobs escaped her mouth as she pleaded for him to leave her alone.

His hands tugged and pulled on his penis as he watched her, mouth slightly agape. Her moving about and pleads for him to stop made him moan in pleasure. He gave one final tug and then he exploded on her stomach, leaving her shaking with embarrassment.

She hadn't ever wanted to see that. And now he was lowering himself and…no. Nonononono_no_. She couldn't…stop him! She couldn't move, no, she couldn't move, and she couldn't escape…he was going to go inside her. She didn't want him inside her. That was Embry's place. That was never his place, no God oh please no…

"STOP!" she cried, jerking herself to the side so hard his hand was knocked out of the way. He fell to the side and quickly Shannon scrambled away, shaking and screeching. Collin leapt from the bed angrily and stalked over to her.

For a moment, he leaned over her predatorily and she cowered against the wall, praying for it all to go away. And then he yelped in a strangled sort of way before throwing her a longing, sad glance, snatching his clothes and fleeing from the room.

He even forgot to shut the door.

Shannon huddled against the door for so long her stomach started to growl and her bladder pulsed with pain. She supposed she was in shock. Her mind couldn't quite comprehend what had almost just happened… no, too much too soon, she couldn't think couldn't think about it, not yet not yet no…

Her mind reeled and she gasped softly, retreating further into that deep, blank piece of her mind.

Her arms wound around her knees as she stared at the nothingness…darkness swallowed her eyes and her brain. She tried to leave her body before realizing it wasn't possible. She needed to leave this place, this room; she could never come back…

Her dark thoughts trapped her again and again for hours.

And then Collin returned. She cried. That's all she could do for a long time. He simply sat across from her, not laying a hand on her, not meeting her eyes.

And then, he spoke, in a voice so quiet she could barely hear it. "Shannon. I'm so sorry…I shouldn't have…" his voice broke. His eyes closed, almost painfully, and finally their eyes met. She trembled and shoved herself against the wall further. He cleared his throat and continued, "I want to show you… show you Jared and Kim." The names were unfamiliar.

"Jared and Kim loved each other very much. They still do, I suppose. But, well," Collin took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing, "They're both insane; crazy. They'd be in mental institutions if they weren't an imprint and a wolf. She is the reason we found out how safe we had to keep you imprints, for the safety of not only us but the whole community. Kim went to Port Angeles one day with her mother. Without a wolf." His voice turned flat, cold and distant. Shannon's heart thudded quickly, fearing the worst.

What had happened to this Kim girl to make the Pack react so…strongly? Turn all of them completely insane? Her stomach twisted.

"She was cornered. She was raped. She wasn't exactly a strong person, Shannon. Her mind left her body pretty damn quickly and soon she was nothing but an empty shell. And that destroyed Jared, too. He turned into what she needed… an uncomplicated animal built to protect her. And that was it. He doesn't talk and the only thing that prevents him from hunting for her is that we can give her human food ourselves," Collin said bitterly.

Then he looked up abruptly, desperately. "Shannon, we _had_ to put the imprints away after that! We could no longer risk their safety as though it was nothing!" He sighed, opened his mouth and then closed it.

Finally, he stood and stepped up to her. Shannon didn't move, didn't cringe… didn't do anything at all. She wasn't sure what to think. She didn't even protest when he lifted her into his arms and carried her out into the hallway. Her insides were frozen.

Then he turned a corner and faced a door, a door she had never even been aware of before, stood before them. She had trouble focusing her eyes on it, but when she finally did Collin whispered in a low voice to not make a sound. Just look quietly.

And then he opened the door. Inside was horrible.

Inside was something Shannon never wanted to see. A man, a man who looked remarkably like Embry, stood there, staring at them with a ferocious glint in his otherwise dead eyes on an expressionless face. Behind him was a simple bed, much like Shannon's, and on it sat a plain girl with dirty skin and hair. She was also blank faced as well as emitting a foul odor.

Shannon gasped and then the door was shut, Collin gripping her arms and shoving her against the wall.

"Do you see, Shannon? Do you understand why we're doing this now?" She was so confused, so awfully confused…

She burst into tears.


	9. Chapter Eight

Hello darlings, sorry for the small wait. :)

Thanks to my lovely beta, laurazuleta18, for getting this back so fast! She is my true love. 3

Hope ya'll enjoy...but **WARNING**: This chapter contains explicit content that may make some readers uncomfortable, the content mainly consisting of rape and other sexual practices.

Enjoy this disturbing chapter! lol

* * *

><p>Two Winters and a Summer: Chapter Eight<p>

Shannon curled into a ball and didn't uncurl for a very long time.

Collin had shoved her back in her room and left a long time ago, and she hadn't moved a muscle. Her sobs had become almost violent because of her shuddering body. Soon, she began to gag and then threw up. This happened two times more before Brady came into the room apologetically, bucket in hand. He held her gently while she continued to retch into the bucket.

After what seemed like hours, she was simply dry-heaving. There was nothing left in her stomach to shove its way back up. Her mouth tasted awful, so she croaked awkwardly for water. Soon, Sam was at the door awkwardly offering a glass. Brady took it and Shannon swallowed the delicious liquid gratefully.

"Thanks," she finally croaked, blushing deeply. Brady patted her hand kindly.

"No problem. I'll, um, just leave you alone, then," he said slowly. Shannon nodded, picking idly at her fingers. Tears were still spilling down her cheeks, but that was mostly from the knot in her gut and she had a feeling there was nothing the pack could do to fix that. Brady shot her one more sympathetic glance before standing and making his way out of the room slowly, making sure all the mess was cleaned up before grapping the garbage can and shutting the door behind him.

Shannon wound her arms around her knees and pulled them very tightly to her chest. It seemed like she was ripping in half…one part of her, the part that was still completely in love with Embry, felt nothing for Collin, and refused to give in to his brainwashing techniques, was wrestling the part of her that demanded she be with Collin. It drew her to him, more like dragged her. It grew stronger every day, pushed against her own will and swept away her own thoughts.

It was like some kind of a chip had been implanted in her brain. She was getting weaker every second she pushed that chip away. She was afraid, so afraid, that she would destroy herself if she didn't give in to the cult that was the pack. Everything she had ever stood for screamed for her to stand tall, keep kicking, keep… keep…

But the imprint… was stronger than …it was clawing, clawing at her brain and her will and her self-control…

Shannon let out a painful scream, body rattling with quivers and tremors. She was so cold, so very cold… Why were her feet and hands freezing? She tried wrapping her whole body up in all the blankets, but she was still shivering.

Brady came in later, told her that he could warm her up. She figured maybe she was sick. Even when he held her tight to his chest, which was over one-hundred-eight degrees, she felt no warmth. Brady whispered, very softly, that it might be the imprint in her fighting against the other part of her for Shannon to go to Collin.

She vomited several more times, and Brady patiently held her hair back for her. Finally, sobbing, Shannon pleaded, "please, please Brady! Please just…" her voice trailed off, and then she continued in a small, choked voice, "Just get Collin. Just go get him." She broke down after asking this, tears staining her cheeks and retched noises escaping her throat. She hated herself for caving in to him so quickly, but the cold… she couldn't take it anymore.

Her throat hurt so badly from throwing up. If she didn't get some relief from this sickness, she'd explode. A few minutes later, Collin strode into the room smugly. "Having a dilemma, sweetheart?" he smirked. Shannon angrily held the saliva she wished to spit his way. Instead, she gulped and nodded.

"Just… just fucking hold me," she begged. Collin's smile grew bigger as he approached her and scooped her up.

"You're realizing how much you need me, aren't you? You'll _always_ need me, sweetheart. Always. You can't protect yourself without me. You have no meaning outside of our relationship, Shannon. We were always meant to be together, not apart, and if we're separate neither of us matter, especially you," he whispered vehemently. Shannon cried even more loudly into his shoulder, the pressure and despair of what he was saying weighing down on her.

"Repeat what I said, Shannon. It's all true, and you fucking know it," he growled. She swallowed thickly. She didn't want to admit that, she couldn't say it, it'd be like giving up… oh god, no, she couldn't… but she had to. Collin was… he said she had to. He said it was all true. This was her life now, wasn't it? She… she had to.

"I'll always need you. I c-can't protect myself without you," she choked. Collin nudged her side, shifting a look her in a way that clearly motioned for her to continue. "I don't have any meaning outside of our relationship. We were always meant to b-be together. Neither of us matter apart, especially… especially _me_," she whimpered, her heart and confidence… everything, really, breaking into small, bite-size pieces. Collin gently cradled her to his chest as she broke down hysterically.

"That's right, baby. I'm your soul mate; we belong together, forever," he murmured, laying her down gently on the bed as she continued to cry messily. His roughed hands eased her shirt over head ever so slowly. She didn't have any bras, so her chest was completely exposed as he carelessly tossed the shirt she was wearing to the floor.

"Please…" she whimpered. She couldn't fight him; she didn't have it in her anymore. She had given up. Collin took her plea as encouragement and moaned, nipping her neck.

"Oh, baby, you have _no_ _idea_ how long I've been waiting for this, fantasizing about this… When I came into your room each night, I longed to just fucking rip these clothes off of you. But I waited, because I wanted what's best for my imprint," he murmured. Shannon gasped as he grabbed her left breast, massaging it with quick jerks. It _hurt_. She was going to have bruises, she realized…

"Stop," she managed to choke. Collin snarled, raised his hand, and swiftly hit it against her cheek. She saw stars for a moment, and then the pain sunk in. She started to sob… she didn't want to go along with what was happening. This wasn't ever supposed to be her. She wasn't supposed to be a victim. She was supposed to have a normal life. Oh god, she wanted a normal life.

Collin lowered his mouth against Shannon's breast and began to suck on it. His teeth carefully bit and nipped the tender skin around it. She squirmed, sickened by his tough. She wasn't getting turned on. She wanted it to stop. "Please," she begged. Collin chuckled and moved on to her other breast.

"Shannon baby, I'm going as fast as I want to. You just sit back. Don't even move. I'll tell you what to fucking do," he ordered in a raspy sort of voice. He started to move downward, kissing each part of her skin, even her belly button, before reaching the waistline of her jeans.

Collin unbuttoned them and shook them off of her. Shannon raised her legs a bit to help him along. What was the point of fighting? He would probably be doing this to her all the time. Shannon pressed her hand over her mouth to attempt to muffle a sob. Thankfully, Collin seemed too distracted with her panties.

"You're so delicate," he moaned. "I just want to wreck you…c-can I?" Collin whispered, thumbs gently circling the material covering her entrance. Without waiting for an answer, he ripped them off of her, not caring that he was ruining the underwear. "From now on you'll wear no panties. They tease me," he snarled at her. Shannon shrank back, nodding numbly.

"That's my good girl," he purred, turning into someone else in an instant. His penis, pressing hard against her thigh, was huge. She knew it would hurt like hell if… if he put it inside of her. He saw her eyeing it and beamed. "Yeah, it's a big thing, ain't it? His name's Big C," Collin laughed. Shannon stared at Collin, wide-eyed and horrified. He named his fucking dick?

Her wolf was an asshole. And she was stuck with him for the rest of her fucking life. His expression turned stormy. "Laugh, god damn it!" he ordered brusquely. She managed to force out a traumatized chuckle. Collin's expression softened, and she relaxed…

Right up until he pressed the tip of his dick into her entrance. She jumped, and Collin took this as another sign of encouragement because her hips had accidentally slammed into his, further pushing his dick inside of her. Shannon gasped in pain.

Embry's dick was just a tiny bit smaller than Collin's, but still huge. And he had always been so… careful with her. Rough, but careful so he would never actually hurt her. And she had loved that about him.

But Collin was treating her like any common whore on the street. She hated him, so very much. She hated him she hated him she hated him shehatedhimshehatedhim.

She repeated this, again and again and again. She couldn't handle what was happening. If she acknowledged that Collin was going down on her, she would explode. She couldn't think about it, no, no. She had to escape. She had to get it out of her head.

She had to think of Embry.

She thought of his arms wrapped around her, kissing her and hugging her. She thought of being perched on his lap, excitedly watching a basketball game that she'd been dreading going to but ended up loving it. She thought of the time she'd fallen into a puddle and met up with him, soaked to the bone. She thought about how he had laughed when he saw her, and then taken her back to his place… She thought of the very first they'd loved on each other. How amazing it was. The best she'd ever had. She thought of his thumbs. One was shorter than the other, and Shannon had always kissed that midget thumb after remembering how her own Grandma tried to make _her_ grow taller by kissing her when she was a little girl.

Embry, it was going to be Embry. She was going to marry him. She was going to… she was going to…

But Collin ripped that all away from her. He took it. And now he was raping her, hurting her, making her bleed on the inside… he was being too rough. It hurt. It felt like he was ripping her walls, or at least bruising them. She tried to push him away, but he must have interpreted it as a caress or pleasured flailing, because he simply leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I know baby. Aren't I so good? Aren't I good? Tell me I'm good, baby," he snarled.

"You're g-good," she stuttered. He snapped his teeth at her warningly, black eyes flashing.

"Say it like you fucking mean it! You love me, don't you? You love me more than you've ever loved _anyone_ else. And I'm good, right? Say it, say what you _know_ is true!" he grunted demandingly. Still sobbing, Shannon nodded shakily.

"I love you more than I've ever loved anyone else. You're good," said Shannon mechanically, struggling to keep the hate out of her voice. He slammed into her, and she cried out in pain.

"Amazing," he corrected with a grin, "I'm amazing, aren't I, baby?"

"You're…you're…" she couldn't do it. She couldn't finish it. Collin growled, leaned down, and bit into her neck. Shannon wriggled in pain and pressed trembling fingers to her neck…she felt blood. Collin continued to push into her, but she felt nothing except the bile that had risen to the forefront of her throat.

She had had enough. She couldn't do it. She couldn't let herself fucking give up like a coward… she didn't want this, she hated this, she had to stick up for herself. Quickly, she shoved her hands against Collin's chest as he was preparing to slam into her again, and he rocked backward. Taking this as her chance, she flung herself sideways and fell to the floor, covered in blood and semen.

"_Stop_!" she screamed. Collin froze, mouth open, face dangerously furious. "Stop! I JUST WANT EMBRY!" she sobbed. Collin's eyes grew wide, his jaw tightened, his hands balled into fists…

And then the door was flung open, and the man Shannon had longed for so very long strode in.

Embry had finally come for her.


	10. Epilogue

Wow, darlings, this is it...the epi. Final chapter. Donezo. This story is done. *blinks*

Thank you SO MUCH to all those who EVER reviewed, including all those anonymous people! Thanks doubly to my more than amazing beta, **laurazuleta18**, who not only beta's amazingly, but writes fantastically as well! Thank you so much for all the support and love!

Another shout out to **Stealth_Liberal** for plot hunting with me!

For the last time... Enjoy! :D

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><p>Two Winters and a Summer: Epilogue<p>

_Embry._

Embry was fucking _there_, for her! For Shannon! She started to crawl towards him, every part of her body screaming to be touched, to be held by her true love. And then she sprang forward, her bare, bloody feet slipping on the floor. She kept on, though, until finally she ran into his body.

His arms caught her perfectly and he clutched her to his chest, pressing chapped, broken lips to her head. "I love you so much," he said brokenly. Shannon began to sob, but nodded.

"I love you too, Embry… So fucking much," she murmured, burying her head in his muscled chest. Embry's hands came down to grip her waist, a sign that he would refuse to lose her ever again.

"How?" Shannon asked in amazement. A grin curved Embry's lips, but he was prevented from speaking by both the feral growl that escaped Collin's throat…and the crashes that came from downstairs. Shannon gasped and whirled to face Collin, backing up so she was covering Embry with her body. Both of the wolves snarled.

"You're using my imprint to protect yourself?" Collin barked, disgusted. Shannon fisted her hands and threw them in front of her.

"Shut up, you sick bastard! I'm fucking protecting him by choice! Leave us alone!" she screamed. Embry leaned down, kissed her earlobe.

"Shannon, baby, please move," he pleaded. She shook her head stubbornly and responded with a firm _no_. Embry sighed. "Still the same wonderful Shannon," he chuckled darkly. Collin let out an outraged snap.

"She was mine from the fucking beginning!" he yowled. Shannon snorted.

"Please. I didn't _know_ you…I never wanted to be with you. I was just pretending, you prick," she scoffed. Collin looked like he was being twisted from the inside out, agony bearing down on him. The imprint connection wanted her to go to him… but she flicked it off like an annoying mosquito.

"But I _love_ you," he pleaded. Shannon's eyes flashed.

"Right, _right_!" she screamed. "That's why you locked me up! That's why you took away all my choice! That's why you fucking tried to brainwash me. _That's_ why you took away everything – every_one_ – I loved!" Shannon's words enraged him.

"I _gave_ you everything! You have no meaning without me! You bitch!" Collin snarled. Embry, with a gigantic roar, moved Shannon to the side and swiftly launched himself at Collin. The two held each other's necks for a moment, fingers tightening, and eyes popping…

And then they were falling backwards… They had made a hole in the fucking _wall_ and fallen out of it. Mouth open, Shannon streaked towards it, still naked. She struggled to grab a sheet from the rubble and pulled it around herself before stepping over stone and rock to the edge of the floor where the wall was broken. She kneeled down and searched for them…

Instead, she saw two wolves, clawing and snapping their furious jaws at each other. She gasped as she realized these wolves were Embry and Collin. She rooted for the one she remembered as Embry as he swiftly ducked Collin's snaps and claws. She cheered when he bit Collin on the hind leg, but then… something happened.

She didn't know what it was. Quick as a flash, Embry was running toward the tree line, then making a swoop to go back to the house. Collin was trailing him viciously, eyes never leaving the grey wolf's running legs. As he neared the house, Shannon prepared to jump.

She knew that was what he needed, so they could make a fast escape. So, she tied the sheet around her as tight as she could, tiptoed to the ledge, prepared to jump, and then…

Something hit Embry so hard he was knocked sideways onto his stomach. Shannon gasped and tilted over the ledge, watching in horror as wolf upon wolf converged her true love, tearing at him monstrously. He managed to fight off a couple of them, but some wolves still got in a few good bites.

Deranged, Shannon leaned forward as far as she could while praying maniacally that he would be alright. "Please, Embry! Please fight for us!" she screamed. This seemed to enrage Collin but motivate Embry to keep going, which was what she had hoped for. Some people became blind or slow in their fury… hopefully Collin was one of these men.

Embry's movements were fast, precise, and he took out… fuck, he _killed_ two wolves before Shannon's eyes. All of the wolves began to foam at the mouth, striking at him more and more. Embry suddenly snapped, turned, and ripped out a wolf's throat.

It was Collin's… he had ripped out _Collin's_ throat. Shannon should have been happy, unbelievably happy… The man that had tortured her was dead.

Instead, a pain so awful it burned her from the tips of her fingers to the bottom of her toes. She screamed, clawing at her chest, nails scraping against her skin. The sheet dropped to the ground as she fought for that pain to be free, gone, awayawayawayaway…

Embry heard her screams, saw her pain, saw Collin, and realized what he had done…

He howled, realizing what was about to happen… just as Shannon tripped and fell out of that hole.

Collin was dead… she meant nothing to the pack. So no wolf went to catch her, or protect her… No, she was freefalling, still clutching her body and convulsing painfully. Embry tied to run. He really did.

He tried to run, to get her, but being distracted in the middle of a pile of wolves was _not_ a good thing to be.

When they ripped his throat out, his eyes were still fixated desperately on the woman he loved.

Shannon was still in pain when she hit the ground and died.

The wolves were monsters. They deserved what they got, in the end. Killed by each other, by vampires.

It didn't matter that a few wolves survived… Brady, Seth, Nico… They led lives far away, and tried to forget about the fucked up mess that was their lives.

The Imprint House was left alone, far in the woods. Eventually people found it, but they never found out what exactly happened there.

It was a good thing they hadn't… some things were just too fucked up for humanity to handle.

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><p>One more thing before you go! I, with the help of the lovely <strong>Stealth_Liberal<strong>, have created a website for readers and writers of all kind! The URL is: www(dot)thewordgarden(dot)freeforums(dot)org! There is also a link on my profile! So, yes, check it out! :D


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